New Capabilities of Test Systems as a Basis for Expanding the Scope of Rapid Chemical Analysis Methods

Alexander Sergeyevich Zaitsev, Delta-CT LLC

Rapid tests are tools for fast, simple, and relatively inexpensive chemical and biochemical analysis that can be performed in field conditions and do not require expensive instruments, special equipment, or highly qualified personnel.

Rapid tests allow for qualitative and quantitative analysis directly at the sampling site. They are successfully used at industrial and agricultural enterprises, healthcare facilities, and even in household settings.

The general principle of rapid tests is based on the use of color reactions from chromogenic reagents impregnated onto various sorbents. The conditions and format of the analysis ensure a visually observable analytical signal (a color change in the reaction zone) proportional to the amount of the target substance. The resulting color of the indicator zone is compared with a color scale to determine the substance’s concentration.

Test strips possess a number of technical characteristics that indicate the quality of their production.

Parameter Name	Parameter Description
Sensitivity of the reaction zone	Determines the minimum detection limit of the target substance
Discreteness of the color scale and clear visualization of detection ranges	These parameters are interrelated and affect the accuracy of substance detection
Selectivity of the indicator zone toward the target substance	Characterizes the ability to detect the target substance in the presence of other interfering substances
Analysis speed	Determined by the reaction rate on the indicator zone matrix. Does not affect analysis accuracy but influences user convenience.
Availability of clear user documentation	Helps avoid errors when using test strips
Initial tube opening control	Ensures quality control during storage and transportation
Shelf life and storage conditions of test strips	Determines storage convenience and operational lifespan of test strips

Foreign companies offer a wide range of test systems, but their high cost limits widespread adoption. Currently, several manufacturers of chemical-analytical test systems operate in the Russian Federation. A number of scientific and technical solutions for the development, production, and implementation of rapid tests have been created by Delta-CT LLC. In particular, fundamentally new rapid tests based on solid extractants have been developed, enhancing sensitivity, accuracy, and selectivity in detection. Research results in molecular filters help eliminate the interference of ions during analytical determinations, while the creation of a multi-stage system-comprising signal recognition, transmission, and execution mechanisms-enables the production of a higher-quality product with superior consumer properties, enhancing market competitiveness.

Our customers include specialists from various sectors of the food, chemical, and biochemical industries, healthcare facilities, environmental monitoring services, public control committees, and the general population.

Due to the growing need for on-site analysis, the development and production of rapid tests for environmental monitoring, drinking water analysis, food testing, pharmaceuticals, biological samples, process solutions, and wastewater have been actively expanding. The key advantages of such tests are their speed, compactness, field usability, affordability, and lack of special skill requirements for the operator. The use of rapid tests significantly simplifies and reduces the cost of chemical analysis for various applications, making it accessible not only to specialists but also to the general public.